The Beach, the Boy Scout, and the Bad Guys
by Lncdaydreamer
Summary: Lois and Clark make a new friend and find the other sides of the boy scout when they go to Miami to get away from the bad guys, but where they go trouble always seems to follow.


Lois and Clark were sitting in their seats of the American Airlines airplane leaving to Miami. For the millionth time Lois said, "I can't believe Perry is making us take this trip. Right now we could be writing a story that could win us a Kerth. But no, we have to go into hiding so the bad guys won't get us"  
  
"Yeah, that's about it. And I don't know about you, but it sounds logical to me" said a rationalizing Clark. "Look, Lois, you've got to take this chance to relax. There is no way we are going to be working on this trip, so just forget about it. Follow my advice: lay back close your eyes, and imagine the—"  
  
"What are you, Dr. Freud all of a sudden?"  
  
"Just trust me, okay? Now lay back."  
  
Lois did as he said and laid back.  
  
"Close your eyes."  
  
With a sigh she followed this as well as the rest of his instructions.  
  
"Imagine the beach. The sun is shining. The sky is blue and clear of clouds. There's no wind except maybe a gentle breeze. You can smell the seafood from the nearby restaurant. A couple of squawking pelicans fly by. The water is almost crystal clear and peaceful as the waves lightly roll down to the shore. The sand beneath you is soft and clean. You're one of the only people standing there watching the day get brighter as the sun is slowly rising. You go in the water and find that it is not cold as you thought it would be. It's lukewarm but refreshing to your skin nonetheless. The sun is now so bright you could get a tan in more or less than 10 minutes. You go back out to the shore and find the person you're secretly in love with holding a bottle of suntan lotion, waiting to give you a massage. You lay down and they give you a wonderful back rub. Later he wraps his arms around you as you both sit there wishing that everyday of your lives was that good."  
  
"Mmmm," Lois murmured, feeling more relaxed than she had ever felt in a really long time. "I just wish it was really that good, even if it was just for one day." As Lois said this she looked up at Clark and found him laid back, with his eyes closed and a wide smile on his face. "And who is it that you imagine by the shore waiting to give you a massage?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, I wasn't thinking about that," responded Clark trying to give her the most innocent look he could muster.  
  
"Uh-huh. I'm sure you weren't," Lois said sarcastically.  
  
***************  
  
A couple of hours later Lois and Clark arrived at the airport in Miami. From there they took a taxi to the hotel they were going to stay in. They knew Perry had a big room reserved fro them, but what they didn't know was that he had reserved the honeymoon suite. "Wow," said Lois "this room is pretty good."  
  
"Yeah, but… there seems to be only one bed," Clark said with raised eyebrows. "I guess I'll have to take the couch again. Unless you wanna flip for it or alternate nights."  
  
"Talk about déjà vu… Clark, it's a big bed. I think we're adult enough to share," Lois asked remembering his playful offer the last time they were at the Lexor hotel.  
  
"Are you sure you trust me?" Clark asked her.  
  
Lois thought about it for a moment and replied, "Why shouldn't I? You're my best friend and I know you wouldn't try anything. Right, boy scout?"  
  
A mischievous smirk spread across Clark's face. He was tired of being a boy scout. He decided to be adventurous during this trip and with that he said "What makes you so sure I won't?"  
  
Lois's jaw dropped slightly but she closed her mouth, smiled, and responded, "Feeling bold today, aren't we?"  
  
Another smirk was plastered across Clark's face as he slowly walked towards her and slyly said, "And what if I do?"  
  
Lois licked her lips feeling a little bit nervous now but still wanting to play the game they had managed to get into. She had never seen this side of him before and was curious about what his next move would be. She stepped closer to him, challenging him. Soon their heads were only inches apart as they both reached in for the anticipated kiss…  
  
"Riiiiiing," the irritating sound of the phone broke the spell Lois and Clark had apparently been in. They both jumped slightly and gasped in surprise. Biting his lip and stepping away from Lois, Clark went to get the phone. Now in an annoyed and exasperated mood, he answered, "Hello?... Oh hi, Perry… Yeah, everything is fine… no, it's okay. The room is great, but why did you reserve a room with only one bed…Perry!... No, Lois is going to take the bed and I'm gonna take the couch… Yeah, okay, I'll tell her… Well, we'll talk to you later. We were about to go get some dinner… Alright. Tell Jimmy we said hi… Okay, bye."  
  
"What'd he say?" Lois asked curiously.  
  
"He just wanted to check up on his "daughter" and me," he answered, using his fingers to emphasize the word daughter.  
  
Lois laughed. "That's Perry. He's always been like a father, but I can't believe he put us in another honeymoon suite."  
  
Clark chuckled but then turned serious and with a guilty face said, "Hey, Lois, about before, I'm sorry for being so forward. I got overconfident and started to act like a jerk."  
  
*If that was acting like a jerk, I wish he'd act like a jerk more often* Lois thought to herself, blushing slightly. Instead she said, "It's okay, Clark. It's not like I can't handle myself. And anyways, if you were being too forward, you know I would have put you in your place. So how bout we really go get something to eat? I'm starving."  
  
"Alright. Let's go."  
  
***************  
  
"Dinner was great, Clark," Lois praised him as they exited out of the restaurant that was close to the hotel. "I'm really glad you picked out that restaurant. I was getting so tired of Chinese."  
  
"Yeah, me too. Hey it's still early. You wanna go for a walk along the beach?" Clark asked hopefully.  
  
"Uh…" Lois hesitated at the thought of an intimate walk with Clark but responded, "Okay."  
  
They walked along the shore of the beach and talked about everything and nothing. After half an hour they strolled back to the hotel. Once back to their room, Lois grabbed the TV remote, handed it to Clark, and headed to her suitcase to find some comfortable sleep clothes. "Find a good movie for us to watch while I go change." After she went into the bathroom, Clark took the chance to change into some shorts and a shirt before flipping on the TV. Lois came out and they stared at each other. She blushed at being caught looking at Clark's physique. Clark's face was also slightly red after glaring at her own attributes. She managed to get over her embarrassment and sat down on the bed next to him. "Do you know if they're showing anything good on tonight?"  
  
"I don't know. Lets see." Flipped through the HBO channels hoping to find a new, good movie but instead ran into an adult program and blushed brightly before quickly changing the channels.  
  
Lois, curious to what his reaction was, looked at him and found him looking at the floor. She smiled at this, wondering how it could be possible for a grown man to be embarrassed by something like that. "And you say you're not a boy scout."  
  
Clark, still blushing and still looking down at the floor, cleared his throat and said, "It's just I don't see what other men see about those kinds of shows."  
  
"Really?" said a skeptical Lois. She believed any man who said he didn't look at porno or think about it was lying. To Lois, it was just a typical male thing.  
  
"Really. Because, well, think about it. Most guys that look at that are usually perverted. And to tell you the truth, it's kind of disgusting. Women who are in those types of movies or magazines are selling their bodies just to get some money. I mean, what they choose to do with their bodies is their business but to me, it's just wrong."  
  
"You are the biggest boy scout I've ever met. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were a virgin."  
  
With this Clark looked away from her and down at the floor and once again blushed. Lois noticed this and stared at him. "No way." He did not respond and proceeded to blush further. "Clark, are you a virgin?" Lois asked in astonishment.  
  
"How about we find a good movie?" he said trying to change the subject and escape any more humiliation.  
  
"How about you answer my question?" demanded a stubborn Lois.  
  
He bit his lowered lip and silently nodded. Lois was surprised and wondered, "What about Cat?"  
  
"Rumors. I tried to tell Cat to stop making people think that, but even when she did, they still believed the rumors."  
  
"Why? I mean, why haven't you…?"  
  
"I guess I just want to wait for the right person," he answered timidly.  
  
"Wow. I wish I had waited. You know, you're gonna make someone very happy one day."  
  
After seeing Clark blush for the hundredth time and silently agreeing to close the subject, Lois grabbed the remote and changed the channels until she found The Princess Bride. "Wanna watch that? I've already seen it before but I never get tired of it." Clark agreed and they lay down beside each other to watch the movie together.  
  
***************  
  
The next day Clark woke up and found Lois wrapped up in his arms and the TV still on. She slowly woke up and realized what position she was in. She turned in Clark's arms to face him. "Morning," she said shyly.  
  
"Morning. Sleep well?"  
  
"Like a baby," Lois said as she smiled up at him. She wondered how she had wound up in his arms, but she knew they would both be embarrassed if she dared to ask. The last thing she remembered was seeing Princess Buttercup kiss Wesley and imagining what it would be like if she was Buttercup and Clark was Wesley and soon she was off in a deep sleep laying beside Clark who was close to falling asleep himself.  
  
"How about I order us some breakfast?" Clark asked. Her stomach answered for her as it made a grumbling sound. Clark picked up the phone and dialed room service. He ordered a big breakfast for the both of them consisting of pancakes, eggs, sausages, toast, and Lois's favorite quicker picker upper- coffee.  
  
After he finished ordering and hung up the phone they both lay on the bed just resting. A while later, Clark got the nerve to wrap his arms around Lois again; surprisingly she did not resist. This encouraged Clark further and he gently kissed Lois on the cheek. When she opened her mouth to say something he quickly interrupted by saying that it was just a good morning kiss. "Oh. Well, in that case, good morning to you too," she said as she leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"And what a very good morning it is indeed," Clark responded smugly.  
  
"Uh-oh. I think I created a monster," Lois said with a smile.  
  
"Hey, I thought I was your boy scout," Clark said, unsuccessfully trying to frown until both their faces broke into grins.  
  
"Yeah, well, little by little that boy scout is disappearing."  
  
"What's a matter, Lois? Can't handle it?"  
  
"Oh, I can handle it. What about you?"  
  
They put their forehead together and just as they were about to kiss the loud knocking at the door interrupted them. A thwarted Clark cried, "It's a conspiracy, a conspiracy I tell you." Lois giggled at how disappointed Clark was.  
  
"I'll go get it," she said. When she opened the door and received a stare from the bellboy, she remembered that she was just wearing some shorts and a shirt that despite its bigness still clung to her skin. Clark saw the look of awe on the bellboy's face and immediately came to the door. "Thank you," he said as he took the cart and handed a tip to the bellboy. The bellboy left and Clark closed the door.  
  
"I believe somebody was jealous over nothing," Lois said looking at Clark.  
  
"I was not," he replied indignantly.  
  
"You practically ran over her and kicked the poor bellboy out."  
  
"Yeah, well, he was staring at you and…"  
  
"And you got jealous."  
  
"Okay, I guess I was. But, do I have a right to be? I mean, what's going on between us?"  
  
"I don't know, Clark. I'm just as lost as you are. But how about we finish what we started," she said as she got closer to Clark. They leaned in, closed their eyes, and…  
  
The telephone rang, once again interrupting their almost kiss. "Jesus Christ!" Clark cried out in frustration. "That's it. I'm gonna smash that phone to bits."  
  
"Just let it ring, Clark."  
  
"Is this a message that we're not supposed to kiss or something because right now I'm really getting frustrated. Every time we're about to kiss there is either a knock on the door or a ringing phone. And I'm trying to stay calm, but I am so sick of being a boy scout. For once I would just like to—"  
  
Clark's babbling was cut off by Lois who had grabbed him by the shirt collar and kissed him. Clark was first surprised but then let himself be caught up in the passionate kiss. When it finally ended they were both a bit dazed. Lois cleared her throat and said "I'm the one who's supposed to babble." Clark just grinned and sighed as he put his forehead against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. They stayed in that position for a while before realizing that the breakfast was getting cold. They sat at the edge of the bed and began eating.  
  
"So what do you want to do today?" Clark asked Lois in between a bite of pancakes.  
  
"Uh, well, we definitely have to go to the beach. And then we can go out to dinner at this restaurant I saw when we came from the airport," Lois proposed.  
  
"Is that a…date?" Clark asked slowly.  
  
"Ummm, I don't know, Clark," Lois said biting her lower lip with insecurity, "I'm not sure that I'm ready to get involved with someone again." Clark smiled and took another bite of his pancakes. Lois saw the smile spread on his face and asked, "I just said that I wasn't sure, so what are you smiling at?"  
  
"Well, you didn't say yes, but there's still a chance, and that's better then when I asked you before if the party we were going to was a date and you said that it was just business," Clark explained, still smiling. Lois rolled her eyes and continued eating her breakfast.  
  
They had finished breakfast and Lois patted her belly as she said, "That was delicious, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to go to the beach now."  
  
"What? Why not? Oh, yeah, we have to wait an hour before going in the water after eating."  
  
"No, not because of that. Because I probably gained a hundred pounds with all that we ate. There's no way I'll be able to fit into my bathing suit now."  
  
"Aw, come on, Lois. It wasn't that much."  
  
"That's easy for you to say," Lois argued, "You eat like an eight year old and still look ho…uh…good."  
  
Clark gave her a cocky grin and whispered, "Wait 'till you see me in my swimming trunks."  
  
"Oh, boy. Dr. Hyde is back again," Lois said in mock exasperation.  
  
Lois put the plate she had been eating from back on the cart. She called room service to come pick up the cart and then went into the bathroom. A minute later the same bell boy from before came and picked up the cart and quickly left in fear that he would make Clark come after him again. Clark saw the panicked look on his face as he dragged the cart with him and gave him an apologetic smile. Shortly after the bell boy left, Lois came out of the bathroom dressed in her two-piece bathing suit. Clark heard Lois come out of the bathroom and headed towards it to brush his teeth. As Lois walked back to the bedroom, she bumped into Clark as he was coming out of the room. Clark took one look and his eyebrows raised, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. Lois smiled, knowing how impressed he was with the bathing suit. "You like?" she asked turning around like a model.  
  
All Clark could do was stare. Finally, he cleared his throat and answered with a short, "Uh-huh."  
  
"Clark, are you okay?" Lois asked, playfully teasing him. She waved her hand in front of his face and finally broke the spell he was under.  
  
Feeling a bit tongue tied, he only managed to stutter, "Uh, yeah. I'm gonna go, uh, brush my teeth, and, uh, change. So I'll be right back."  
  
Lois bit her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing at the way Clark quickly darted to the bathroom. "Men," she muttered to herself.  
  
Clark heaved a sigh of relief as he shut the bathroom door behind him. Then he brushed his teeth and changed into his swimming shorts. As he came out he bumped into Lois once again. Now it was her turn to be mesmerized as she glared at Clark's muscled chest. Clark noticed the direction of her gaze and asked teasingly, "Should I go put on a shirt?"  
  
"No, no," she answered quickly, "I mean, what's the use if we're going to the beach?"  
  
Clark nodded but was glad Lois was still looking at his chest because she probably would have smacked off the smug smile he had on his face. They wordlessly grabbed all the stuff they needed for the beach and left the suite.  
  
As they were walking down the poolside, Clark heard a wolf whistle from one of the young men in the pool. Instinctively and possessively, he put his arm on her shoulder. She looked up at him through her sunglasses and was about to say something, but decided not to and just held the hand that was still on her shoulder.  
  
They reached the beach and found it only partly crowded. They picked a spot and laid down the towels and other things. Lois put some suntan lotion on her face and shoulders but had trouble putting it on her back. Clark saw her struggling and came to the rescue. He grabbed the bottle, poured some lotion on his hands, and said, "I know I'm not the man of you're dreams, but I'm a good massager." Lois only looked at him, rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, and turned around to allow him access to her back. He spread the lotion over the small of her back and gently but firmly massaged her shoulders. He ran his hands down her spinal cord, careful not to untie the bathing suit. Minutes later he finished the massage and cleaned off the excess lotion on his shorts.  
  
Lois grabbed the bottle and said, "My turn," as she poured some lotion onto her hands. She started on his lower back and worked her way up to his wide shoulders, noticing every second how well defined he was. After giving him a back rub she turned him around, poured some more lotion in her hands, and massaged his strong, smooth chest. She finished but obliviously left her hands on his shoulders. He bent his head down until their lips were mere inches apart and…  
  
***************  
  
"I am so sorry about that," said the apologetic mother of the six year old boy who decided that squirting the nearby pigeons with his water gun wasn't enough. Lois and Clark, the human targets, insisted that it was alright and that he was just being a kid.  
  
After the mother left holding her son with one hand and the water gun with the other, Clark's own little kid side decided to come out. He picked her up in the way Superman usually does and walked into the water with her. She gasped in surprise and asked, "Clark, what are you doing? Is that water cold?" After receiving a wicked smile from Clark, she threatened, "Clark, you better not do what I think you're going to do. Clark, if you throw me in there you better start running for your--" Any further threats from Lois were cut off as he gently tossed her in the water. They were past the shallow water but not deep enough for her to drown in. She came up, moved the hair out of her face, and slowly said, "I…am going…to kill you!" Clark couldn't help but smile despite the danger he now faced. He ran back to shore with Lois right on his tail.  
  
Clark slowed down so Lois could catch up to him, but still kept some distance. He looked behind him to see Lois stretching her arms in an attempt to grab him. Suddenly Clark tripped and landed on top of what was a big sand castle. Clark looked at the young boy the castle had belonged to. Tears filled up in the boy's deep, blue eyes. Clark immediately apologized. Lois held back a laugh when she saw Clark's chin covered in sand. "What's your name?" Clark asked the youngster.  
  
"Gabriel," he replied sadly.  
  
"Well, Gabriel. I am really sorry I ruined your castle, but how about you and me build a new one?" He smiled at the idea and nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"Can I help?" Lois asked Gabriel gently.  
  
"Okay," he responded with a smile as sweet as sugar.  
  
Gabriel grabbed Lois with one hand and Clark with the other and pulled them to a woman sitting on a towel. "Mom, these are my two new friends. They're gonna help me build a new sand castle." He grabbed the two shovels, a big bucket, and three plastic cups. He handed the two shovels to Lois and Clark as they exchanged greetings with his mother. The rest of the time was spent in small conversation between Lois, Clark, Gabriel, and his mother as the three new friends built their castle.  
  
A while later the castle was complete with windows, a moat, and even a flag at the top. Gabriel wiped the sand off his puffy cheek and button nose and walked beside Lois and Clark. They stood a few feet away from the castle to examine their creation. Lois walked into the shore to rinse off all the sand on her. She looked at Gabriel and Clark and saw that Clark had lifted Gabriel up on his shoulders and was walking towards her. As they came closer, she noticed a playfully evil grin on both their faces and wondered what they were up to. Gabriel carefully stood up on Clark's shoulders and then jumped off, landed next to Lois, and splashed her dry hair. "Clark Jerome Kent, Gabriel Conlon. You are both going to pay for that," Lois said playfully.  
  
"Uh-oh, Gabe. We better run for it," Clark warned his partner in crime.  
  
"Gabriel, wait," Lois said before he tried to run away, "Come here."  
  
He cautiously swam to her and she whispered in his ear. Suddenly he was Lois's partner in crime as he grabbed a piece of seaweed and swam underwater. Clark moved around in a circle trying to find Gabriel. All of a sudden, Gabriel popped up behind him and put the piece of seaweed on top of Clark's head. Lois laughed at the adorable sight of Clark with seaweed and water dripping from his head and a mixture between a grimace and a smile on his face. He shook off the seaweed and brushed back his hair. He looked at Gabriel who was giggling next to Lois.  
  
"Gabriel, I'm hurt. You betrayed me," Clark said with a mock hurt expression. "Now I'm the one that's gonna get you."  
  
Gabriel giggled some more and started swimming back to shore to escape Clark. Before reaching dry land, Clark playfully grabbed him by the waist and started tickling him. Both their dimples grew increasingly noticeable as they tickled each other and laughed hysterically. Finally they gave up trying to see who was more ticklish and lay back on the soft sand.  
  
"Are you two children done?" Lois asked with a smile.  
  
Clark held back a smile and replied, "Yeah. We're done tickling each other. Help me up?" She grabbed his hand but was instantly pulled by Clark as he said, "We're done tickling each other but not done tickling you." With that Gabriel and Clark partnered up once again and showed Lois that laughter is the best medicine.  
  
Hours had passed and the sun was setting over the now calm ocean. Clark had moved their belongings near Gabriel's and now the three companions sat on the towel staring at the beautiful sky.  
  
Shortly after, Gabe's mother announced that it was time to leave. Gabriel sadly looked at Lois and Clark. Clark smiled down at him and ruffled his hair, "Aw, come on. Don't give me that look, kid. We'll see you around the hotel, okay?"  
  
"You promise?" he asked.  
  
"I promise," Clark said earnestly. Lois noticed how much they looked like father and son when a strand of hair fell over their foreheads. They each hugged him and said goodbye.  
  
As Lois and Clark walked back to their own room, Lois said, "You know, you would make a great father."  
  
"Alright then, let's go ahead and have some kids, Lois," Clark said slyly.  
  
Lois rolled her eyes and said, "You have become incorrigible."  
  
Clark ignored the last comment and said, "I think you would be a good mother too."  
  
"Yeah, right," Lois scoffed. "If I'm anything like my mother was, my children will wish they were never born."  
  
"Lois, you're not your mom. You're Lois Lane. You're a hard worker, you're intelligent, and behind that Mad Dog Lane attitude you're a really caring person. Any child would be proud to have you as a mom."  
  
They both stopped by the poolside and Lois looked up at him through shining eyes. All she could muster was, "Thank you, Clark."  
  
Clark smiled in return and bent his head once more. Lois closed her eyes in anticipation. When Clark didn't kiss her as she had expected, she opened her eyes and looked at Clark. He had his head turned in a far away glance. She turned her head to the direction of his gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Lois, I have to, uh…" Clark trailed off trying to find a quick excuse.  
  
"Clark, don't you dare. You're getting that look you get right before you run off to do whatever it is you do when you run off. If you don't want to kiss me, just say so, but don't give me one of your excuses that you have to go return a book or that you suddenly feel the urge to rent a movie," Lois said but noticed him looking back in the same direction he was before. "If you go, I… you can forget about even sharing a room with me because I will not talk to you for the rest of our trip. I'm tired of you running off leaving me with a lame excuse in the middle of an important conversation or…something else."  
  
Clark gave her a look of despair as he decided that the fire had already gotten too big to handle without Superman's help. He looked at Lois again and gave her an apologetic look as he said, "Lois, I really, really have to go. But I promise I will be back and then I'll explain everything to you." He tried to give her a quick kiss but was wounded when Lois turned her head the other way. He sighed in frustration and quickly jogged to the corner of the building to change into his suit.  
  
***************  
  
An hour later, a flash of light shot into the ocean. After taking a quick rinse in the ocean, Clark made sure there was nobody in sight and then spun into his casual clothing. As he slowly walked back to the room, he prepared for what he was going to say to Lois. What he wasn't prepared for was a locked door that she refused to open.  
  
"Come on, Lois. Open the door. We need to talk. I told you I was going to explain when I came back." After hearing the TV go on and the volume rise, Clark muttered to himself, "I'm in the doghouse already and I'm not even going out with her." He moaned and pleaded again, "Lois, please open the door." When she didn't respond, Clark's irritation grew until he yelled, "Lois, if you don't open this door, I'm gonna break it down!"  
  
An older man from the room next door came out and said, "Hey, could you keep it down, pal!"  
  
Clark sheepishly frowned and apologized. Sadly giving up, he walked to the lobby and asked the clerk if he could have the extra key to the room, but was told that the extra key was for the manager.  
  
He dejectedly walked to the lobby's arcade where he saw a sandy blonde haired boy playing a video game. "Gabriel?" he asked as he got nearer.  
  
The boy turned his head and happily exclaimed, "Clark!" Gabriel ran to him and hugged him.  
  
Clark laughed, "See? I told you I'd see you again. Wait a minute, mister. What are you still doing up? Isn't it past your bed time?"  
  
"Hi, Mr. Kent," Gabriel's mother greeted.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Conlon."  
  
"Gabriel refuses to go to bed until he beats one of the games here. The only reason I am allowing him to continue is that it's his vacation and I promised him he could do whatever he wanted today."  
  
A light bulb lit up in Clark's mind and he said, "Well, I got an idea. Right now, I'm having a bit of a problem and with Gabriel's help I might be able to solve it. So if I play with him and beat one of the games with him, do you think I could maybe borrow him for a few minutes?"  
  
Mrs. Conlon looked at him with raised eyebrows and wondered why he needed Gabriel's help but agreed anyways. "Let's play the Simpson's game," Gabriel suggested.  
  
"Alright, but I'm Homer," Clark said.  
  
"I'll be Bart cuz I can hit the bad guys with my skateboard"  
  
***************  
  
Forty-five minutes and ten dollars later they finally beat the Simpson's game. "Hey, Gabe. Do you think you could do me a favor?" Clark asked. Gabriel nodded anxiously. "How good of an actor do you think you are?"….  
  
A few minutes later Gabriel nervously knocked on the door of room #626. "Lois, it's Gabriel, not Clark," he said as he looked at Clark and his mom who were peeking from around the corner of the hallway.  
  
Lois looked through the peephole and opened the door. "Hi, Gabriel. What are you doing here?" Lois asked as she kneeled down to reach his height.  
  
"Hi," he started out shyly, "Clark, wanted me to tell you that he is really, really, really sorry about leaving you. And he wished he could have a chance to explain everything to you. And uh, he's, uh, oh yeah. He's really depressed right now. And he says he doesn't like the doghouse, but I don't know why he's living in a dog house, he could just rent another room. Anyways, he said he'll make it up to you if you forgive him or at least give him a chance to explain. And uh, uhm, oh, and I really hope you do, because if you don't then I'll be really sad." Gabriel gave her the saddest expression he could make. He looked at her with his deep, icy blue eyes as he pretended to cry.  
  
Lois smiled wryly and then stood up. "Alright, come out from wherever you're hiding, Clark."  
  
Clark walked towards Lois with a sad brown-eyed puppy look on his face. Mrs. Conlon followed behind him and gave a smile to Lois. "Lois, if I have to get down on my knees, I will."  
  
Lois sighed and said, "Alright, I'm giving you one chance to explain."  
  
She waited but sighed again when Clark said, "But not here."  
  
"Fine. Come in and explain. But using Gabriel to get in was low, Clark," Lois scolded.  
  
Gabriel smiled and said, "Yay, it worked. He's not in the doghouse anymore."  
  
"Come on, Gabe. Lets leave these two alone. You can see them tomorrow," Gabriel's mother said as she took his hand.  
  
"Okay. Bye, Clark. Thanks for paying and playing all those games with me. Bye, Lois. See you tomorrow"  
  
After Gabriel and his mother left, Lois closed the door behind her and Clark, crossed her arms, and waited for him to explain. "Lois, you might wanna sit down," Clark told her as he combed his hand through his hair in frustration. Lois followed his advice and sat down on the couch. "Okay, first of all I wanna say that the reason that I keep on running away has nothing to do with a fear of commitment, like I know you think it does." He paused and then released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Oh, god. This is harder than I thought. You don't know how many times I've practiced telling you this. But every time, every method I come up with to tell you, I imagine the same situation. You're angry, hurt, and you never wanna see me again."  
  
"Well, Clark, is this so big that I would be mad enough to never want to see you again?"  
  
"Well, I've kinda, sorta have been lying to you since we met," Clark shamefully admitted.  
  
"Oh, is that all?" Lois asked sarcastically. "Is it me, Clark? Is it that I'm attracted to men who are jerks, and lie, and end up breaking my heart?"  
  
"You're attracted to me?" Clark asked ignorantly.  
  
"Clark, that's beside the point. I mean, I started to trust you because you seemed different. You were sweet and the perfect gentlemen and you always respected me. And I thought you trusted me too. But now, I find out that you're like all the rest," Lois said, feeling like she was going to cry.  
  
"Lois, I do trust you," Clark explained as he started to pace, "I mean at first, even though you warned me not to fall for you, I did. But even though I was head over heels in love with you, at first I didn't trust you because I thought you were only after the scoop of the century, so I thought that if I told you my secret you would sell me out and I would be the Planet's next headline. But then we became friends and I could've told you, would've told you, but you were infatuated with Superman and I didn't want you to like him instead of me before I told you because, well, he's not me. Then you were about to marry Luthor and I didn't want my secret to influence whether you wanted to marry him or not. And then after that we were sorta walking on eggshells around each other, afraid that we had ruined our friendship, so I couldn't have told you then. And now that we've gotten closer I wanted to tell you, but I guess I just didn't have the guts to, because I'm afraid you'll hate me."  
  
Lois looked at him as if he had just read the dictionary to her. "Clark, you've told me why you haven't told me, and that you wanted to tell me, but you still haven't told me," Lois said, almost smiling at all the repetitiveness they had used.  
  
"Lois, I think it would just be easier if I showed you instead." Clark slowly took off his glasses and smoothed back his hair with his hand. Then striking his natural Superman pose, he crossed his arms and looked straight into Lois's eyes, which were becoming increasingly wide.  
  
"Impossible," she muttered, "Clark, I've been working for you for three years. Don't you think I would know that you're…Superman?"  
  
"You only saw what you wanted to see, Lois. You saw a normal, mild mannered reporter and then you saw your hero. And you just couldn't imagine that they're the same person." He paused as he saw the look of disbelief on her face. "Do you want me to prove it to you?" he asked.  
  
She shook her head and said, "You're right. I mean it all fits together. All the similarities between you and him, all the times you knew something only Superman was supposed to know, or vice versa, and all the times you leave me with a lame excuse is because you have to go save someone, right?" Clark responded with a small nod. "So that's what it is. You always get this far away look on your face before you leave. Lemme guess, you're super hearing kicks in and you have to go away to save someone."  
  
"Yeah. Unfortunately, although I'm blessed with the power to save people, there always seems to be trouble during the most important times in my life. Sometimes I really hate Superman."  
  
"Do you always talk about yourself in the third person?" Lois asked, smiling slightly.  
  
"Sorry. Mom says I gotta stop doing that or one day I'll have an identity crisis. But the thing is that Superman is who I act like to save people. He's my secret identity so that I can get away with living a normal life as Clark."  
  
"Clark, please don't do that. You're scaring me. You're mom's right, if you keep talking about yourself in the third person, you're gonna develop an identity crisis"  
  
"Whoa, wait a minute," Clark interrupted, "Why are you so calm? Don't think I'm putting ideas in your head, but shouldn't you be yelling at me or throwing things at me about now?"  
  
Lois smirked and calmly answered, "No. I guess you had your reasons for not telling me. And I understand them. Besides, I'm tired of fighting with you."  
  
"Wow, I didn't think you'd be this calm. So you forgive me?" Clark asked hopefully  
  
"On three conditions: One, you have some major making up to do. Two, no more lies. And three, you show me the real you. You act like you normally would when you're by yourself. I know that you think of yourself as just Clark, but I think there's more to you than that mild mannered reporter. So can I forgive you or are you going back to the doghouse?"  
  
"Hmmm, let me think about this one for a second," Clark joked, "You can forgive me, Lois. I promise to abide by those three conditions. But I must warn you, I still have to leave to take care of Superman duties, except now you'll know where I'm going."  
  
Lois nodded her head in agreement and patted the spot on the couch next to her. Clark sat down and Lois remembered something. "Wait a second. Clark, you said that you were head over heels in love with me."  
  
Clark blushed as he said, "I still am."  
  
Lois smiled at his admission and laid her head on his shoulder. "Don't let it go to your head, but I think I'm falling in love with you too, Clark."  
  
He looked at her in shock. "So where do we go from here?" he asked.  
  
"Well, how about we go out and take things from there?"  
  
"That sounds good," he agreed as he noticed her yawn. Without saying anything, he picked her up and carried her towards the bedroom.  
  
"Clark, what are you doing?"  
  
"Taking you to bed."  
  
"Clark, I'm not that tired. I can walk, you know."  
  
"Yeah, but I wanted to carry you," Clark responded, smirking. He carried her to the bed and laid her down.  
  
As he was about to leave, Lois stopped him. "I still have a lot of unanswered questions."  
  
"And I'll answer them tomorrow. For now, let's just get some sleep." He lowered his head and gave her a small kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, Lois."  
  
Lois grabbed his hand before he started to leave again. "Aren't you gonna join me?" she said suddenly a little shy.  
  
"Uh, I better not. My, uh, boy scout side definitely thinks that's not a good idea."  
  
Lois laughed and said, "Clark, I'm warning you. You're gonna have multiple personalities if you keep doing that."  
  
Clark laughed too. "Oh, I already have multiple personalities. I just gotta control some of them. Like my devilish side keeps telling me 'Don't listen to Boy Scout. He's a wimp.' But you know, the devilish side never won a merit badge."  
  
Lois started laughing again.  
  
"Nah, I better sleep on the couch. Oh, but if you wake up, don't be scared if you see me floating above the couch, okay?"  
  
"Alright, Boy Scout. But you're not leaving here without giving me another kiss goodnight"  
  
"Mmm, way better than earning a merit badge," he joked as he bent down and gently kissed her goodnight once again.  
  
The next morning Lois woke up to find Clark floating a few feet over the couch just as he had described. He had his arms crossed on an imaginary pillow and a huge smile across his flushed face. *I wonder what he's dreaming about,* Lois thought. She walked over to him and whispered his name in his ear. Lois could have sworn she saw his smile widen even more right before he fell straight down and onto the couch with a loud thump. Pieces of white fluff came out of the pillow he landed on. "So that's what happened to your pillow at the Honeymoon Suite." Clark grinned sheepishly. "Sorry I woke you up," Lois apologized and asked with a slightly devilish smile, "I, uh, noticed you had a big smile on your face. What were you dreaming about, Clark?"  
  
He gulped and joked, "Just, uh, earning some merit badges."  
  
A while later Clark ordered a big breakfast since they hadn't eaten dinner and afterwards they got ready to go to the beach. After finishing breakfast, they walked together hand in hand towards the beach. As they reached the sand, a familiar voice called them back, "Lois! Clark!" Gabriel, too eager to swim to the stairs, climbed out of the pool and ran to Lois and Clark. They crouched down to meet his cheerful hug.  
  
"Hey, buddy. How ya doin? Oh, by the way, thanks for helping me out last night," Clark whispered with a wink to Gabriel.  
  
"If I help you out again, could we play some more video games?" Gabriel negotiated.  
  
Clark chuckled and said, "Well, how about we go to the beach first. Lois and I wanted to go in the water for a while. But Lois brought a Frisbee we could play with while we dry off and then we could go into the lobby and play some video games."  
  
"Okay." He excitedly agreed, "But while you're in the ocean, I'm gonna be with my mom in the pool, okay?"  
  
"Alright, then we'll see you later," Clark said.  
  
***************  
  
Lois smiled as she and Clark were swimming in the water. "This may not be paradise, but I'm having a really good time."  
  
"Me too," Clark agreed.  
  
Too busy staring deeply into each other's eyes as they held one another, a big wave covered their heads and demolished the peace. As Lois recovered from the distraction, Clark shook his head, splashing Lois in the face. "Gee, thanks, Clark," Lois said sarcastically as she splashed him with her hand.  
  
"Hey," he yelled playfully. A small water fight began between the couple. They finally made a truce sealed with a kiss and came out of the water. Lois pulled the Frisbee out of her beach bag just as Gabriel came running to join them for the game. Fifteen minutes later they finished their game and were now dry. Mrs. Conlon joined them in the arcade to watch Lois, Clark, and Gabriel play video games and air hockey.  
  
Five minutes into a game of Star Wars, Lois noticed Clark pause with a far away glance. She knew what was happening and said, "Uh, Clark, why don't you let Gabriel play. And that way you can, uh, go get us some food to eat from the restaurant across the street."  
  
A huge look of relief crossed his face before saying, "Yeah, that's a good idea. Besides, I'm losing anyways. I'll be back in a while." He quickly walked out of the arcade and into a dark hallway where he changed into the Man of Steel.  
  
After handling a line of car crashes on a highway in the same city he came back to the empty hallway, changed and entered the small arcade carrying two pizza boxes. Suddenly the color rushed out of his face and he dropped the boxes as he saw Mrs. Conlon lying on the floor and Lois and Gabriel nowhere in sight. He checked her pulse and gave her CPR. She finally breathed and looked around her. "What happened? Where's Lois and Gabriel?" Clark asked before she could say anything. Tears ran down her cheeks as she started to sob. "Please, calm down and tell me what happened," said Clark desperately.  
  
She took a deep breath and managed to say, "They took them."  
  
"Who took them? And where?" Clark frantically asked.  
  
"I don't know. I couldn't see their faces. They were wearing masks. Lois and Gabriel were playing a game when I thought I heard someone behind me. When I turned around, someone grabbed me and put a handkerchief over my mouth. I turned and saw Lois and Gabriel struggling to get away and then everything faded."  
  
Mrs. Conlon burst into tears again. Clark tried to stay calm and said, "Alright. Look, calm down. Go into the lobby and call the police. Tell them what happened. Meanwhile, I'm gonna contact Superman so that he can look for them." She nodded in agreement and ran into the lobby to do as he said. A few seconds later Clark ran to the same hallway that he had used to change in before. As he was checking to make sure it was clear someone came behind him and grabbed him. Clark was about to capture the person behind him but stopped struggling as he realized that this must have been the one of Lois and Gabriel's kidnappers. He gave up the struggle and another man came over and whacked Clark on the head with the butt of his gun. Clark pretended to be knocked unconscious and let them drag him into the van that was in the parking lot at the end of the open hallway. Once in the van, the masked men closed the sliding door and drove away.  
  
Clark opened one eye slowly and saw one mean at the driver's seat, another in the seat next to that, and a third sitting across from him. Clark quickly closed his eye when he saw the man across from him, but luckily he was looking the other way. There was nothing left for Clark to do except wait.  
  
Ten minutes later, Clark heard the van stop and the front doors open. He decided he had waited long enough and as one of the masked men reached down to grab Clark, Clark pulled him down and punched him in the face, leaving him unconscious. Before he could reach the other two, a gun was pointed at his face. He looked beyond the man with the gun and to the warehouse in front of him. Peeking above his glasses, he x-rayed the warehouse but found nothing out of the ordinary. "What do you want with me?" Clark asked with fire in his eyes. "Where are Lois and Gabriel? If you've hurt them—"  
  
"Calm down," said the man with the gun. "Lane and the kid are safe. But don't be upset when you see the bruise on your girlfriend's cheek. She had the guts to kick me and I couldn't let her get away with that."  
  
Clark's anger rose and not even hell could match the temperature of the blood running through his veins. He asked again, this time between gritted teeth, "What do you want?"  
  
The leader of the three criminals spoke calmly, "Well, think about it, Kent. When you and Lane get kidnapped all the time, what is it that your captors want but never get due to their stupidity? That's right, Superman. Ever since he arrived in Metropolis he's been nothing but trouble for people like me."  
  
"You have me. One person is enough. Let Lois and the kid go," Clark reasoned.  
  
"I would, but see, they're like insurance. I thought I would just get you and Lane, but then I noticed you and her made friends with that little twerp and I couldn't help myself. I figure if I have the kid, you and Lane won't try anything. You know, at first I was kinda pissed at the trouble I had to go through to follow you here, but I'm actually enjoying the beaches. And it made it real easy to follow you two without being suspicious. But now let's get down to business."  
  
He waved his gun in the direction of his partner signaling Clark to follow him. Although hesitating at first, Clark obeyed, hoping that they would lead him to Lois and Gabriel. Once inside the warehouse, the doors were locked and the men removed their masks. Unfortunately, Clark did not recognize either. He spoke as he followed the men deeper into the warehouse, "Why are you doing this? I know it's cliché but you can't get away with this. You're either incredibly stupid or …incredibly stupid. Even if we call Superman, he's just going to have all of you arrested. Even if you had a gun pointed to each of our heads, he'd be fast enough to disarm all of you."  
  
"I believe you've met a man named Trask before, right Kent?" the leader interrupted and continued before Clark could answer, "Trask had the right idea about destroying that alien known as Superman. He also had the belief about a certain green rock that could leave Superman vulnerable…"  
  
The rest of what was being said wasn't heard by Clark as he realized that now there was kryptonite involved. His head turned as he saw two more men coming towards the leader. Clark's eyes widened and he gulped as he saw one of the men holding a box. He didn't notice he had stopped walking until the thug behind him nudged him with the tip of his gun. Suddenly a bright, green glow emitted from the lead box as it was opened. Clark clutched his stomach in pain. The leader of the goons turned around to see a pained expression on Clark's face. "What's a matter, Kent? You're sweating. Not so sure of your hero now, are you?" Two of the men started moving crates until a secret door was revealed underneath. The man behind Clark pushed him to get him to walk. Clark, trying to hide the excruciating pain he was experiencing, lost his balance and fell just a few feet from the secret entrance. He tried to stand up but was instead dragged like a rag doll down the stairs of the entrance by two of the men beside him. Daggers of pain stabbed at his entire body. The two brutes tossed Clark next to Lois and Gabriel in the basement that was hid by the lead lined door. Just as the doors were closed behind them, Clark collapsed from the throbbing pain.  
  
A few minutes later a voice brought Clark back to consciousness. "Clark? Clark, you gotta wake up," Lois said shaking him. When he refused to open his eyes, Lois smacked him lightly on the face. After Clark opened his eyes briefly and closed them shut again, Gabriel crouched down next to him, grabbed his shirt collar, and smacked him hard across the cheek. Clark's eyes flew open and he held his hand to his cheek. He sat up and looked at Lois and then Gabriel.  
  
"Are you two okay?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, Clark. But we gotta get out of here. Is there any chance that Superman will be here anytime shortly?" Lois asked.  
  
Clark shook his head and said, "They have kryptonite. I'm still weak from…" Clark paused as he remembered Gabriel was listening and then continued, "The fall I took. And I don't exactly know when I'll, uh, be back to normal, if you know what I mean."  
  
"What's kryptonite?" Gabriel asked curiously.  
  
"Uh, don't worry about that, Gabriel," Lois told him. Clark looked around to find a means of escaping. Lois followed his gaze and said, "I've already looked. There's no way to get out. And there's nothing here that could help us fight those goons." Clark released a deep breath and stood up. "Clark, you're still weak. Sit back down," Lois ordered. He ignored her commands and leaned against the wall.  
  
A look of fear flashed in Gabriel's face as the only entrance and exit to the basement was opened. The Trask wannabe stepped into the dark room and said, "Alright, Lane, Kent. I've waited long enough. I had planned to starve you until you called for help, but I've never been a patient man. Call Superman now or I'll kill you all, starting with the little brat."  
  
"Hey, who you calling a little brat, you lousy bum!" Gabriel shouted angrily as he stepped fiercely on the man's foot. Clark grabbed the advantage and knocked the gun out of his hand. The he struck a powerful blow to his jaw. Lois grabbed the gun just as the other men came running down the stairs to see what the commotion was about. As Lois held her gun pointed at two of the men, one grabbed her from behind. Clark seized him by the shirt and punched him in the stomach and then the face.  
  
"Clark, watch out," Lois warned. Clark ducked, missing the other bad guy's punch by just a few inches. He countered with a punch of his won, knocking his opponent against the wall.  
  
With one man left standing, Gabriel eagerly said, "Lemme at 'em, lemme at 'em." The old man chuckled at the little boy's enthusiasm but was abruptly whimpering in pain as Gabriel had kicked him in the most sensitive part of the male anatomy. He fell to the floor along with his companions.  
  
Lois went up the stairs and retrieved the lead-lined box containing kryptonite. Making sure it was completely closed, she called Clark and Gabriel to come up. Clark grimaced as he saw the box in her hands and winced as he remembered the pain that the little rock caused him. Lois noticed him lower his glasses and stare intently at the door to the basement. He smiled, realizing he had regained his x-ray vision. "Looking into things?" Lois asked quietly.  
  
Clark nodded and said, "Our friends downstairs will be out for a while. Lois, I, uh, well, I"  
  
"Clark," Lois covered for his lack of words, "why don't Gabe and I stay here while you try to find help?"  
  
Clark silently thanked her and said, "Alright, but are you sure you'll be okay here alone?"  
  
"Yes, now go before the stooges downstairs decide to wake up."  
  
Clark heeded her advice and left the warehouse. All of a sudden he remembered the one man he had knocked out in the van. He walked to the van and found the man still lying on his back. Clark began to wonder just how hard he had punched him and checked his pulse. He was still alive, unconscious, but alive. He inspected his surroundings before quickly spinning into the suit. He flew back to the hotel, where he found the police still searching for Lois and Gabriel. He explained the whereabouts of the warehouse that he had found them in they were soon on their way over there.  
  
Superman flew back to the warehouse. "Superman!" Gabriel said, gasping in surprise.  
  
"Hi, Gabriel."  
  
"How'd you know my name?" he asked in astonishment.  
  
"Uh, Clark told me when he explain what happened. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help," Superman said.  
  
"That's okay. Me, Lois, and Clark kicked the bad guys' butts just like in the movies. Where is Clark, anyways?"  
  
"Oh, uh, he's on his way over with the police," Superman explained. He looked over at Lois who smiled at him. He looked down and saw that she was still holding the lead box. "I think I better take that with me to S.T.A.R. Labs."  
  
"Okay," she said handling him the box, "But be careful, Cla—Superman."  
  
He gave her a smile, said goodbye to Gabriel and flew away to S.T.A.R. Labs. After giving the kryptonite to Dr. Klein who put it in a secret vault and promised not to mention it to nobody, Superman flew back to the warehouse a minute before the police arrived and changed back into Clark. As the police arrested the criminals, Clark rolled his eyes and scolded Lois when he saw her sitting on one of the crates writing on a notepad. "Lois, I thought we agreed that this would be a work-free vacation."  
  
"Yeah, but we also didn't think that we would be followed and then kidnapped, did we?"  
  
Clark surrendered and said, "Where'd Gabe go?"  
  
"He's looking at one of the police officer's badges."  
  
Clark laughed. "You gotta love him."  
  
Once Lois and Clark explained what had happened, one of the police officers took them back to the hotel. Gabriel ran to his mother who was still crying. "It's okay, mom. I got to help catch bad guys," Gabriel reassured her. "And I saw Superman, and real police officers, and their police stuff. And I drove in their police car too. And Clark told me that before he and Lois leave that he would ask Superman if I could fly with him. And Lois said that I should join the boy scouts. But I'd rather be kidnapped again. Lois and Clark were really cool. I slapped Clark just like in the movies so that he would wake up. Lois grabbed one of the guns and Clark was beating up the bad guys. It was better than the movies. It was awesome." Lois, Clark, and Mrs. Conlon laughed softly at his enthusiastic innocence. Mrs. Conlon thanked them for Gabriel's safe return and they said their goodnights.  
  
***************  
  
"How you feeling?" Lois asked him as they walked down the hallway to their room.  
  
"Super," he replied with a smile, "Oh, by the way, I gave the kryptonite to Dr. Klein. He's the only one I really trust at S.T.A.R. Labs. He put it in a lead vault that only he has access to."  
  
"That's good," she said distractedly.  
  
"What's wrong, Lois?" he asked noticing her diverted attention.  
  
She replied hesitantly, "Well, you ever think that maybe we're jinxed, Clark? I mean, everywhere we go trouble follows. I'm thinking I better start making my will."  
  
"I would make mine too, but you already have two of the most important things of mine."  
  
"I do? What?" Lois laughed as she heard Clark humming the tune to "Heart and Soul".  
  
"Well, it makes sense, Lois. We're investigative reporters. We're nosy and curious, we constantly stop crime, and we're famous so we're bound to get into trouble all the time. It's the not getting out of trouble that worries me."  
  
"As long as I've got my big boy scout to help me get out of trouble, I don't really care," Lois said as she unlocked the door to their suite.  
  
Together they worked on the story of their kidnapping using Lois's laptop and sent the story to Perry for the morning edition. After changing clothes and watching TV for an hour, Lois and Clark decided to go to sleep. Clark had carried her to the bed, kissed her goodnight, and went back to the couch.  
  
During the middle of the night, Lois woke up when she heard something in the next room. She got up and saw that once again, Clark was floating a few feet above the couch. But this time he didn't have a smile on his face. He was thrashing about and moaning in his sleep, obviously having a nightmare. Lois tugged on his shirt until he floated back down to the couch. She shook him to wake him up but in return received muttered words of nonsense. He continued tossing and turning as he mumbled. Lois shook him again and called him. Finally he woke up with a startled jump. He was panting and even sweating as he sat up. He saw her sitting next to him and asked, "What are you doing up? What happened?"  
  
"You were having a nightmare."  
  
"Oh, well, I'm alright. Go on back to bed." When she stayed and stared apprehensively at Clark, he said, "Lois, it's nothing, just a bad dream. Even Superman has nightmares. Don't worry, I'll be fine."  
  
Concern was written all over her face as she said, "How can I not worry, Clark? You, who didn't break a sweat during our heat wave, who could stand in hell's kitchen and stay as cool as ice, wake up in a sweat from an obviously bad nightmare. And look at you, you're out of breath. You're never out of breath. You can hold your breath for what, twenty minutes?"  
  
"Lois, relax. Nightmares aren't the only dreams that leave me in a sweat and out of breath." Clark blushed, disbelieving he had actually said that out loud.  
  
Lois, deciding to tease him about the last comment later, said, "Tell me about the nightmare and then I'll go."  
  
Clark opened his mouth to protest but knew that he would eventually give in, he almost always did when it involved Lois. He sighed in surrender and told her the truth. "Well, what you said before about us always getting in trouble and me saving you, got me thinking. And then bad thinking turned into nightmares. In my nightmare you were kidnapped, as always, and I came to rescue you, as always. But then all of a sudden I was vulnerable and I was screaming for them not to hurt you. And I tried to stand up but I couldn't. One of the men had a gun pointed at you and I tried to reach you but… They… you were lying there and…" Clark trailed off as Lois wiped an unshed tear from his eye. "I'm just scared that one day I'm not going to be able to protect you because of bad timing or that damn kryptonite."  
  
She stroked back the lock of hair that always insisted on falling over his forehead. As she intertwined her fingers behind his neck, she said, "Remember the first day we were here when we fell asleep together and in the morning you had your arms around me? I felt so safe lying there in your arms… And, no, I didn't know you were Superman. The reason I felt so safe wasn't because of your strength. It was because you are my partner, and my best friend and I trust you with my life. If someone had come through the door and pointed a gun at us, I know that I would be safe because you do anything to protect me, even give up your life. And I would gladly do the same for you. But it wouldn't come to that because I realized that together we can get through anything. And I realized all the time you spend watching over me. When your not with me as Clark, I see you as Superman. But you can't watch me 24-7. I get in trouble all the time and it was the same long before Superman ever showed up. I did fine then and I'm even better now because now I have my insecure boy scout to protect me with his love. Bad guys don't stand a chance."  
  
He pressed his forehead against hers, sighed, kissed her cheek, and simply said, "I guess you're right."  
  
"I'm always right. Now you go back to sleep and have sweet dreams this time. Oh, speaking of which, I seem to recall you mentioning certain dreams where you end up breathless and sweating. Care to share?"  
  
"Uh, let's just say that the latest ones involve the beach, a boy scout, no bad guys, no interruptions, a romantic dinner, lots of suntan lotion, and the beautiful woman who has haunted my dreams for three years now." Lois blushed at this, grabbed his hand, pulled him up, and led him towards the bedroom. "Lo-is," Clark said stopping her.  
  
"What? I just wanna stay with you to make sure you don't have any more nightmares." She lay down under the sheets of the bed and waited for Clark to surrender. His good and evil sides fought for a while until the Boy Scout side got a good kick in the behind and Clark slid into the bed next to Lois. They kissed each other goodnight…several times and fell asleep in each others arms.  
  
***************  
  
By morning time, Lois realized Clark had already gotten up when she awoke reaching for Clark and instead finding a pillow in his absence. "Clark?" she called his name while blinking back the morning drowsiness.  
  
"I'm here," Clark responded jumping onto the bed next to her. "Good morning," he happily greeted her.  
  
She yawned, looked at the clock next to the bed, and said, "It's too early to be morning."  
  
"Come on, sleepyhead. Wake up. Go put on that bathing suit I love."  
  
"Clark, have I told you I'm not a morning person. Come back and sleep with me."  
  
"Mmm, tempting, but no. Come on, get up. I'll tickle you if you don't get up," he said as he grabbed her waist and started tickling.  
  
"Clark, no!" she screamed in between a fit of laughter as she tried to pry his hands away from her waist. "Alright, don't tickle. I'll get up. I'll get up." He stopped and allowed her to slowly sit up and then stand by the bed. She swiftly grabbed one of the pillows and hit him on the head with it. "And that's for tickling me," she said and quickly ran to the bathroom. Clark chased her but was hit in the face by the bathroom door.  
  
"I don't understand why we're going to the beach this early Clark. The sun isn't even up. The water's probably freezing," she said while coming out of the bathroom.  
  
Clark looked outside and saw that she was right. "Good," he simply said as Lois rolled her eyes. He was already dressed in a shirt and swimming trunks so they left.  
  
At the same time as they reached the platform that held the showers and connected to the sand, Clark ordered her to close her eyes. She sighed but did as he said. He grabbed her shoulders and led her towards the shore. He stopped about fifteen feet from the shore and told her to open her eyes. She looked around her and saw that the beach was completely deserted. *Of course it's deserted. Nobody in their right minds would go into the water at this time of morning.* She looked down and found what Clark had been grinning about. On the sand lay a large blanket, two picnic baskets, and a vase with a single red rose. All she could do was smile, turn around, and give Clark the big 'thank you' kiss he deserved. They sat down and ate the breakfast prepared by the wonderful chef of the hotel. He wrapped his arms around her while they let the food digest in their stomachs and watched the sun come up. The tide was low and the waters were peaceful as they reflected the mirror image of the bright orange sun. Clark stared intently out at the water for a long time before saying, "Why don't you go in for a swim, Lois?"  
  
She raised her eyebrows and said, "Clark, you've gotta be kidding. The sun just came out—"  
  
"Indulge me," Clark interrupted. Lois got up and walked to the shore and lightly tapped her foot against the water. Her mouth opened and she looked at Clark. He simply shrugged while saying, "The sun works fast, doesn't it?" She slipped into the warm water and was soon joined by Clark. Almost everything was as Clark said it would be in his description during the trip in the plane.  
  
They finally got to go out on their date that night. The last few days of their vacation, Lois and Clark visited interesting sites, ate at fancy restaurants, and spent a lot of time at the beach. Gabriel also spent some time with the happy couple. On the last day, Clark and Gabriel collected seashells with Lois. After Superman gave Gabriel the ride he promised, he helped Gabriel make necklaces from the seashells he and Clark collected. Gabriel gave Lois and Clark their necklaces before bidding farewell to them. Clark made a boy scouts honor to take Lois back to the beach at least once every year. And as for the bad guys…well, the gods decided to take a break from testing the hottest team in town.  
  
The End  
  
  
  
Author's Note: The idea for this story came to me on the ride over to my favorite vacation spot, Miami. And for all the Newsies fans out there, I made Gabriel Conlon from the character of Spot Conlon of the Newsies played by Gabriel Damon. In my story though he is about the age Gabriel Damon was when he played in the movie Robocop 2. 


End file.
